What a year! In 2011 Scottsdale Moms Blog celebrated its first birthday, co-founders Joy and Steph each added a little one to their families (as did contributors Cate and Jenet!), and our team grew to include eight (!!) regular contributors. Oh, and we also hosted Mom’s Night Out events, playgroups and zoo walks, hooked you up with some crazy-great giveaways, built our Facebook community to more than one thousand friends, and developed wonderful partnerships with some outstanding local businesses.
Somewhere in there, we also blogged about life as a mom in the Valley. Every day. As I try on my fancy new Managing Editor’s hat (which, if you’ve met me you know is actually a messy ponytail) and get ready for more blogging fun in 2012, I thought I’d highlight my favorite posts from the past year.
In no particular order, here are my top posts of 2011:
{from Steph} This is scary stuff, but really important for every mom to know: Signs of Dehydration & Heat Exhaustion in Children
{from Joy} Joy inspired me to be more proactive about my birth experience the next time around: Tips for Having a Natural Delivery in a Phoenix Hospital
{from Cate} Cate’s words are always so wise. This post is about much more than homeschooling (at least to me): Homeschooling Out of the Box
{from Jenet} Ah, the double-stroller purchase. It’s almost as important as buying a car! Love these tips: Double Wide. Double Baby. Double the Stroller.
{from Kirsten} Oh my, this is a sweet and poignant post. Big lessons in small things: Lessons from the Laundry
{from Tracy} Tracy’s story about running the half-marathon includes one of my all-time favorite photos on SMB. You’ll have to read it to see the pic of her crossing the finish line. Love this post: Running Diaries: Mommy Half-Marathon Complete!
{from Angela} Angela is QUEEN of the local tips. I was so glad she checked out these local drop-in daycares and shared her experiences: Drop-in Day Cares in Scottsdale
{from Noelle} I’m a sucker for metaphors. This is one of my favorite posts ever: Seeds
{from Beth} Oh, this is genius. And so easy even I could do it: Invisible Vegetables: A Recipe Even Picky Eaters Will Love
****Steph here****
Don’t you love Sarah? Of course she chose the modest route and didn’t highlight a post of her own! So humble of her. Which is exactly why I’m happy to select one (of the many) of my favorites written by her. 🙂
Getting out of the house without getting out of the car = life-saver. Sarah talks about her favorite Drive-Throughs in this post, Next Window Please : How Drive-Through Windows Changed My Life
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